The Running Man Runs Again!

Utterly fed up with inactivity and my my increasing weight, I just decided "Sod it! I'm going running" this afternoon, and just got out there with baggies on and my long unworn yellow running top, and did 7km.

It wasn't the fastest 7km I've ever done, but I need to do it like mad.

I was worried about my ankle, but that seems to have stood up to it ok. Got a bit of a sore groin though.

In other dull fitness news I've taken to doing press ups, sits ups, leg raises, and some daft thing for my back involving adopting a sort of superman position and raising one arm and one leg. I'm hoping it will help with the upcoming cricket season. God only knows if it will though.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 08.01.17

Tic and Stim Confusion

So, I've been having another outbreak of Tourette's and Asperger's confusion that has become a little bit of an odd obsession the last couple of days.

I'm trying to work out how much of each thing is inside me - is it  Tourette's 100-0? Or 0-100 Asperger's?

I really can't tell. Both TS and AS share similar co-morbid conditions - OCD, ADD and various other flavours of behaviour, but they are also different, and this is where I've been going a little crackers.

Tics are in the provenance of Tourette's. Stims are autistic behaviours. Stims are things like flapping of hands, rocking back and forth - I've just been rocking back and forth just now while thinking about rocking back and forth. Tics are uncontrollable, only they are not...they satisfy an urge, wait so do stims, sometimes, but in a different way...

The only really consistent thing I pick up is that tics tend to be more centrally located down the centreline of the body, while stims are more symmetrical and found at the extremes. But even then I'm not sure about that. I do tic vocally, usually quiet little names or phrases of interest quietly burbled and usually taking on slight different, clipped forms, but the real yelling, and the most convulsive, violent, flappy tics come when I'm extremely upset or stressed by something I read or think about.

Then, at other times I think stimulating thoughts and my hands begin to flap and do a sort of clapping without moving thing.

Then sometimes my left foot has been arching within the shoes, and my left leg likes to do a sort of strange stretching thing, like a slightly demented cat.

So today, everytime by body has done something, I've tried to classify it - stim, or tic?

I've tried to classify me. Tourette's, Asperger's, or both?

For some reason this became very important, and I'm not sure why. Knowing what percentage of my behaviours is caused by one or the other doesn't change very much, they are all still there and nothing will ever change that.

Even as I write this, a tense bit of "Silent Witness" comes on, and my right arm bends over the top of my head, hand towards my left ear. At the same time, my left side tenses and pulls my body over like an anti-stretch.

Incredible thing, the brain, and body. I don't know how the heck anyone ever works it out.

Si

All text copyright CreamCrackeredNature 03.01.17

Walking for Wellness through RSPB Langford

Here's another of my walks I produce for work, but think other people will like. I keep upping the text size to make it easier to read. Hopefully the unseasonable weather will enable me to get a trip out into the sticks this weekend.

Si

All text copyright CreamCrackeredNature 07.12.16

A Windmill Walk

Hopefully you'll be able to read this one! It's a route that leads from the Willow Holt Nature reserve in Farndon village, along the river past the power station and then to the Farndon Windmill, and is another of my own "Walking for Wellness" series I've been doing for work.

But why am I telling you this? It's all here!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 16.11.16

More Walking for Wellness

I posted this one last week, a walk for wellness around Sconce Park. I do love being able to write this sort of thing at work.

Another Walk for Wellness I Put Together

I seem to be making a regular Friday feature of these; I will have to do more and more walks to generate more copy!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 17.10.16

My Workplace Publications

I think a while ago I mentioned that off my own bat I'd started producing little news-sheets for work, and nice people that you are, you encouraged me to keep it going.

Well, despite the odd hitch here and there, I have done. I've done about 8 in all, plus various pictorials and online only bits and pieces. They seem to be well received as a nice distraction for a few minutes, and certainly some folk have said they have learned something new from them.

One of the subjects I've looked at pushing is mental wellbeing, and consequently have been encouraging the staff to go on walks to perhaps notice something they've never seen before, or just to get out in the open air.

I produced this one today for online, and rather like the effect I got.

Si

All tect and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 07.10.16